Uesugi Rei lifted her nodachi and sent two fierce sword lights flying forward.
The sword lights sliced through the frozen waterfall right in the middle and that section of the waterfall slid off before falling into the depths of the chasm.
And just like that, a path had opened up in the frozen waterfall.
This scene had brought Shiu back to reality and almost made her wonder if she was dreaming.
Lily was also stupefied by this scene. Perceptive as she was, Lily felt like Rei had become much stronger than the last time they had met. Just as she had progressed, Rei had also improved.
Even for a sword saint, such a feat sounded simply impossible to achieve!
Lily gazed upon Uesugi Rei’s lithe back, succulent buttocks, as well as her long legs and wondered just how strong she had become now.
“Although Sister Shimizu is also incredibly strong, can she really contend with a freak existence like Uesugi Rei?” Lily felt worried.
“Let’s go!” Uesugi Rei walked on top of the chiseled surface of the frozen waterfall and leaped forward after reaching the end to land inside the cave that was now just a meter away.
Lily pulled the still absent-minded Shiu and walked on this path of ice with ease and jumped into the cave as well.
This was one of the exits of the prison.
After traversing a bit further inside the cave, the trio encountered branching tunnels of the prison.
It seemed that this prison was in the shape of a ring with cylindrical prison cells.
“Do you know where Naoto is locked?” Rei inquired.
Shiu shook her head, “It’s my first time here too.”
Hence, Uesugi Rei decided to act according to her wishes and used her spirit power to directly freeze the iron gate of the biggest prison cell and broke it open. The trio entered the cell after that and discovered a torture rack, a wooden horse, a torture chair, a T-shaped cross, and an X-shaped cross. The cell was also filled with iron chains, ropes, lashes, birches, pears1, candles, and jars…
“This is the torture room?” Lily shivered in trepidation after seeing all the torture devices in the room.
Shiu also trembled a little and explained, “I heard from the ninja sisters who failed their missions that although this is the biggest torture room in the entire prison, it’s used exclusively to punish the ninja girls… It can be said that it’s the nightmare of the Mido clan’s ninja girls.”
Uesugi Rei also furrowed her brows slightly after looking at these torture devices, “This Fuma clan is really twisted! However, Lily, since you were practicing how to escape bindings with Shimizu before, can you escape from these torture devices?”
Lily looked all around and answered with a blushing face, “Although the devices here look pretty terrifying, they aren’t that good at restraining. It should be possible for me to escape from their bindings.”
“Oh?” Rei smiled faintly and said thoughtfully, “That’s interesting. Lily, if it’s possible, teach me how to do it as well.”2
“Ehhh?” Lily gazed upon Rei’s slim and graceful back, feeling puzzled about her words. What does Sister Uesugi mean by that?
The trio left the biggest torture room and began scouting the prison.3 Soon after, they discovered an old woman lying on a haystack inside one of the prison cells.
“It’s the Matriarch! Grandma Mido!” Shiu exclaimed.
After Uesugi Rei opened the prison cell’s gate, Shiu rushed inside to check up on her.
“Matriarch! Matriarch…” Shiu felt her head spin in sorrow after seeing the inhumane state of the matriarch who had raised her up like family.
“Cough…” It seemed like she still had a breath left in her.
The matriarch’s emaciated hand trembled as she raised it up. Shiu rushed to support her immediately.
“Matriarch! Grandma Mido! You…” “Cough… Is it really you, Shiu? I’m glad that you’re fine, Shiu…” “Grandma! I’ll save you right away!”
“There’s no need for that. I already had half a foot in my grave previously, and after getting wounded by the Fuma clan, I don’t have much time left in this world. Shiu, it’s good that you are still alive. The Mido clan doesn’t exist anymore. I really regret not listening to Lady Mimori’s words back then… I shouldn’t have accommodated the whims of the Fuma clan. If I hadn’t done that, things wouldn’t have turned so bad and result in the extermination of the Mido clan… Cough… If Lady Mimori was still alive, with her talents and courage, the Mido clan wouldn’t have ended up so miserable. Sigh!”
“Please don’t speak, Grandma. I’ll rescue you from here and request Lady Ashikaga to treat you!”
“Shiu, you have to keep on living well. The Mido clan no longer has a future, but that has no relation to you. You also have no qualifications to avenge the Mido clan, so you should return to the Yagyū family… Shiu, you have no relation to us anymore…”
“No, Matriarch, what about the other sisters and mentor aunt of the Mido clan? Matriarch? Grandma Mido! Grandma Mido?!”
The matriarch had passed away.
“Grandma… the reason you kept reiterating that I don’t have the qualifications to avenge the Mido clan even at your last breath was to prevent me from committing the same mistake as Lady Mimori, right? But how could Shiu dare to do something that even Lady Mimori failed in doing? Shiu is satisfied as long as Shiu can dutifully serve at Master’s side in Heian. As a ninja, Shiu doesn’t need any personal feelings of vengeance.”4
Shiu didn’t cry, but her lips pressed against each other tightly as she accompanied the matriarch for a few moments blankly.
Lily stepped forward and helped Shiu move the matriarch to the side, and then supported Shiu up before saying, “The Fuma clan isn’t just your foe, Shiu, they are also my enemy. Everything will end today, so grandma will be able to rest in peace in the afterlife soon.”
“Master… the reason why Shiu came along is to help you, that’s all. It’s already enough for Shiu to be able to see the matriarch one last time. Therefore, please act according to your wishes, Master. Don’t worry about Shiu too much. Since Shiu has already decided to become your ninja, the past doesn’t matter anymore. Whether it be the Mido or the Yagyū, neither matter to Shiu anymore. Although Shiu is willing to face any danger for Master, there’s no way Shiu can allow Master to face danger for Shiu. If not, Shiu would be tramping on my resolution as Master’s ninja! This is the honor and glory of a ninja, Master! So, Shiu hopes that you can understand it…” Shiu held back her tears and spoke to Lily while grabbing her hands tightly.
It was impossible for someone to have no thoughts of avenging the grandma who raised them up like family and have no feelings for a clan where they had trained from childhood to adulthood.
Lily understood Shiu’s heart very well.
Lily didn’t answer Shiu and simply pulled Shiu into her embrace with one of her hands, allowing her bountiful bosom to envelop Shiu’s trembling, tender, tearless face in warmth.
“Sister Uesugi, let’s continue looking for Lord Ashikaga,” Although Lily calmly spoke these words, flames of fury had lit up within her eyes.
However, they weren’t able to find Ashikaga Naoto even though they had searched every nook and cranny of the prison. But they were able to find the other Ashikaga samurai that were imprisoned here.
Although these samurai were bruised all over, they sat cross-legged within the prison cell with resolute expressions on their faces.
“If it weren’t to protect the young lord and wait for a chance to rescue him, as samurai of Mikawa, we would have never allowed these despicable ninjas to capture us!” “If the young lord were to die, we will also follow after him!” “Where is your young lord, then?” Uesugi Rei asked them. “Those ninjas took him up just now.”
“Since you keep saying you are here to protect the young lord, why didn’t you stop them?” Uesugi Rei asked again.
“Those ninjas severed the tendons of our legs. We helped each other sit up like this so we could maintain our dignity as samurai!”
Uesugi Rei’s gaze turned severe as both she and Lily had noticed the bloodstained cuts on the bare feet of the seated samurai.
“Haahh,” Uesugi Rei’s hair danced to the side as she cracked her neck, “Let’s go, Lily.” “Where do we look for Lord Ashikaga now?” “He should be in the chief’s residence above the prison,” Uesugi Rei’s eyes glimmered with a dark light.
Lily also looked at the gallant Mikawa samurai with a solemn gaze and nodded at them in recognition before saying, “Everyone, we were entrusted with the mission to save Lord Ashikaga by Lady Ashikaga Makoto, so we will do our best to rescue your young lord.”
“Maybe we should just kill everyone in the house above,” Uesugi Rei’s long hair danced up and down as she strutted forward and shone with a silver glimmer as her beautiful figure walked towards the stairs within the dark corridor.
Lily’s black hair fluttered in the air as her tender hands gently unsheathed Crescent Moon from its scabbard. Donned in a sorrowful yet beautiful looking red-black princess-like armor, she strode forward with her long slender legs5 to catch up with Rei and walked alongside her.6
